Toy airplane or glider construction



Jan. 30, 1968 f A. M. STERBA 3,366,354

TOY AIRPLANE OR GLIDER CONSTRUCTION Fild Oct. 11, 1965 Ivan/Wm A ion/'71 M. Sterba Attorney United States Patent 3,366,354 TOY AIRPLANE 0R GLIDER CONSTRUCTIQN Antonin M. Sterba, 524 S. Clifton Ave, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068 Filed Oct. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 494,389 14 Claims. (Cl. 244-154) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This toy airplane or glider is made of balsa or other similar light sheet material, and the same incorporates the following features:

1) Novel weight distribution achieved by mounting a generally U-shaped metal or plastic bracket as a weight on the body from the bottom near the center of gravity of the assembled plane, this weight being fixedly attached by a plug entered through registering holes in the bracket and body;

(2) Laterally projecting lugs on the upper ends of the two arms of this bracket, which in some planes are inclined for the purpose of inclining the wings to a predetermined dihedral angle, vand on others are arched or otherwise formed relative to the wing for the purpose of forcing the central portion of the wing upwardly to define a wing chord, While on still other models the lugs are so formed relative to the wings as to attain simultaneously both of these purposes;

(3) The body is slotted lengthwise to receive a flat wing and there is another slot closely spaced above the wing slot to enable arching of the wing to chord shape, the balancing weight formed by the aforementioned U- shaped metal or plastic bracket being utilized as an adjustably fixed means for giving the wing chord shape to the wings by applying upward pressure on the bottom thereof;

(4) A downwardly arched spring wire bail extends transversely of the plane under the body and is attached at its outer ends to the outer ends of the lugs on the aforementioned bracket, this bail being adaptable for slidable reception of a tether line that enables the operator, by sliding the tether from one end to the other of the bail, to reverse the direction of flight;

(5) The wings are provided in two pieces, joined together at their inner ends by interfitting saw-toothed projections covered with adhesive tape, thereby enabling a swept-back wing design, although both wing pieces have the grain of the balsa running lengthwise thereof, this construction still permitting shaping of the wings to the chord shape in the manner stated above.

This invention relates to a toy airplane or glider construction designed for free flight or tethered operation.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a toy airplane or glider which, in free flight as a glider, performs well in all wind conditions and at different speeds, doing glides, loops, wing overs, and so forth, staying in the air for long flights, and capable of being launched at high speeds by hand or by catapult, a wide variety of flight patterns being possible by adjustment for level flights or loops, the plane being versatile so that with line control it can be flown with realistic flight performance in either direction, namely, clockwise or counter-clockwise, the direction of flight being reversible while the plane is in flight and it being adapted to be looped or stunted so it can be used in dog-fights, ribboncutting, and so forth, even in high winds.

The salient features of my invention responsible to a large extent for the high performance of this toy airplane are:

(1) Its novel weight distribution, achieved by mounting a generally U-shaped metal or plastic bracket as a weight on the body from the bottom near the center of gravity of the assembled plane.

(2) Proper location of the bracket on the body for obtaining desired flight characteristics by entering a plug in registering holes provided in the bracket and body:

(3) The provision of means, especially in the form of laterally projecting lugs on the upper ends of the two arms of the bracket, which in some plane models are inclined for the purpose of inclining the wings to a predetermined dihedral angle, and which on some model planes are arched or otherwise formed relative to the wing for the purpose of forcing the central area of the wings upwardly to form 'a wing chord, and which on other model planes are so formed relative to the wings as to attain simultaneously both of the stated purposes.

(4) The body is slotted lengthwise to receive a flat wing, which may thereafter be inclined and/ or arched by the means above described. The body is preferably provided with one or more additional slots above the wing slot to facilitate arching of the wing to chord shape. Also, the wing slot is made long enough to allow the operator to move the wing to a variety of forward, central and rear positions for loops, high level flight and low level flight.

(5) A downwardly arched spring wire bail is pro vided transversely of the plane under the body and attached at its outer ends to the outer ends of the lugs on the bracket, the bail being adapted for slidable reception of a tether line and enabling the operator, after he becomes skilled in the handling of the plane, to reverse its direction of flight by merely sliding the tether from one end to the other of the bail.

(6) The wings may be provided in two pieces of balsa joined together at their inner ends by interfitting sawtooth projections underlaid and possibly overlaid with adhesive tape, thereby enabling a sweptbaok wing design although both pieces have the grain of the balsa running lengthwise thereof, this same construction being suitable also for the elevators.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled plane made in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view on a larger scale with the outer end of one wing broken off to conserve space;

FIG. 3 is a side view;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section on the broken line 44 of FIG 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the plane in a bank to its right by reason of the leader on the control line having been shifted on the bail to that side by the operator; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the U-shaped bracket.

Similar reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

The toy airplane or glider of my invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and has the body 11, wings 12, elevators 13, and rudder 14 all suitably made of balsa or other similar light sheet material, the generally U-shaped bracket 15 being of metal or plastic material, the canopy 16 of hollow plastic material, and the bail 17 of spring wire.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the inner ends of wings 12 have saw-tooth projections 18 which enable interlocking of the inner ends of the wings and taping these interlocked ends together with a piece of adhesive tape indicated at 19, thereby enabling having the grain of the blasa running lengthwise of the two wings and still have the swept-back wing design as shown. A similar construction is used for the elevators 13, as indicated by the interlocking saw-tooth projections which are held interlocked by a piece of adhesive tape 21. A slot 22 extending lengthwise of the middle of the body 11 receives the wings 12, and there is another slot 23 extending lengthwise of the tail end of the body 11 receiving the elevators 13. The rudder 14 is inserted in a slot 24 cut vertically in the tail end of the body 11 on the top thereof. The wing slot 22 is preferably longer than the wing is wide to accommodate longitudinal shifting of the wings 12 for the purpose of varying the flight characteristics of the plane.

In addition to the slot 22 to receive the wings 12, one or more shorter slots 25 are provided in the body parallel to and spaced above the slot 22, leaving one or more narrow flexible intermediate portions 26 in which the grain of the balsa runs lengthwise and which can therefore be safely arched upwardly as seen in the side view FIG. 3 to facilitate arching of the wing to define a wing chord, as seen at 27 in FIGS. 1 and 3, at the inner ends of the wings when the bracket 15 is pressed upwardly into place under the wings. The upper slot or slots may be centered on the centerline of the wing slot, or fowardly or rearwardly thereof as may be found desirable.

The bracket 15, as best seen in FIG. 6, has laterally projecting lugs 28 of equal length on the upper ends of the two arms 29 thereof which, at least in most model planes, serve to impart various characteristics to the wings 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the lugs 28 are arched upwardly toward their outer ends, as seen at 30, and are also inclined upwardly to the extent of the angle 31, which is the dihedral angle for the Wings, for the double purpose of forcing the central area of both wings upwardly to form the wing chord 27 and, at the same time, incline both wings to a predetermined dihedral angle with continuance of the Wing chord outwardly toward the outer ends of the wings. On some plane models the wings may have a wing chord, but no dihedral angle, or a dihedral angle but no wind chord, or a single inclination rather than an arch to the wings, all by appropriate formation of the lugs 28. Also, by making the arms'29 of the bracket 15 longer than the distance from the bottom of the body to the wings, the wings can be arched without arching the lugs 28.

The bracket 15 has registering holes 32 in the two arms 29 which register with another hole 33 provided in the body 11 near the center of gravity of the assembled model, through which aligned holes a plug 34 can be entered to anchor the bracket to the body in its final assembled position holding the wings shaped to a wing chord and/ or a dihedral angle, as described. While only a single hole 33 is shown in the illustrated embodiment, it must be understood that I do not limit my invention to a single fixed location for the bracket inasmuch as in the case of a glider, for example, it may be desirable to remove the plug 34 and utilize the bracket 15 as an adjustable weight, adjustable forwardly or rearwardly from a position near the center of gravity of the completely assembled plane to change from level flight, for example, to loops, or vice versa. Whether the bracket, the wings, or both, be longitudinally adjustable, adjustment of either will vary the chord and/ or angle of the wing, in addition to the other variations in aerodynamics and balance, to enhance the variations in the flight characteristics.

The laterally projecting lugs 28 have holes 35 provided in the outer ends thereof in which the hooks 36 provided on the outer ends of the arcuate bail 17 are entered, these being self-locking on the lugs as seen in FIG. 4. This bail extends transversely of the plane under the body 11 and is adapted for slidable reception of a tether. The tether preferably comprises a Wire leader 37 slidable from one end to the other end of the bail and a tether line 38 attached to the leader, whereby to enable the operator to fly the plane realistically, and, after he becomes skilled in the handling of the plane, to reverse its direction of flight by flying the plane overhead, causing the leader 37 to slide from one end to the other of the bail.

The canopy 16, which is preferably molded of plastic material in one piece or a two piece assembly and of streamlined form, as best appears in FIG. 3, is located on the upper edge of the body 11 over the wings 12 and has an air hole 39 provided in its forward end, which, when the plane is travelling at a sufficiently high speed causes a Whistling sound, adding greatly to the enjoyable use of the plane by youngsters, While the canopy especially when implemented by a pilots head and head rest gives the toy a more realistic airplane appearance, as can easily be seen from a look at FIG. 3. The canopy is held in place with a vertical plastic fin 4-0 which is part of the molded plastic canopy, or two-piece canopy assembly. This fin fits tightly into a slot cut vertically into the body of the plane.

I claim:

1. In a fiyable toy airplane having an elongated body and Wings, a balance weight on the body intermediate its ends near the center of gravity thereof, and means fixedly attaching the weight to the body against shifting longitudinally thereof, said weight being attached to the body from the bottom of the body and having opposed upper end portions disposed in contact with the underside of the wings intermediate their leading and trailing edges to form a wing chord.

2. In an airplane as set forth in claim 1, said weight being generally U-shaped and straddling the body from the bottom and being detachably connected to the body by a plug passing through registering holes in the opposite side portions of said weight and registering with a hole provided in said body.

3. In a fiyable toy airplane having a body of flexible material, and Wings, the latter being entered in one of a plurality of vertically spaced substantially parallel horizontal slots provided in said body longitudinally thereof and being of flexible material, relatively rigid means applied to the body and abutting the bottoms of the wings for shaping the same by flexing the same and the body material between the slots to impart wing chord to said wings.

4. In an airplane as set forth in claim 3, the means applied to the body also pressing upwardly on the wings outwardly of the body for imparting a wing dihedral thereto.

5. In a fiyable toy airplane having a body with a wing slot provided therein lengthwise thereof and wings mounted in said wing slot, and means adjustably fixedly attached on the body intermediate its ends under the wings and cooperating with the body and wings for adjustably shaping the latter and then maintaining such shaping,

said body having slot means therein spaced above and generally parallel to the plane of said wings and wing slot, the first mentioned means including means under said wings opposite said slot means for pressing portions of said wings upwardly towards said slot means for imparting a shape to the wings, said slot means accommodating flexing of the wings transversely of the plane thereof to accommodate said shaping.

6. In a fiyable toy airplane having a body and wings, means cooperating with the body and wings for shaping the latter, said body having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally extending slots therein, said slots defining a relatively thin vertically bowable strip of body between each pair of slots, said wings being slidably received in a lower one of said slots, the aforesaid means including means for pressing upwardly on the central portions of said wings adjacent said body, the remainder of said slots and each bowable strip of body accommodating upward movement of the central portions of the wings whereby a wing chord is imparted thereto.

7. In a fiyable toy airplane having a body and wings, an arcuate rigid bail extending transversely of and depending from the body at a location near the center of gravity of the airplane, and a tether for the airplane slidably connected to said bail and adapted to extend outwardly substantially radially relative to the arcuate bail at selected points along the length thereof approximately on a line from the center of gravity of the airplane.

8. In an airplane as set forth in claim 7, a weight bracket on the body near the center of gravity of the airplane, said bracket including laterally projecting lugs, said bail being mounted at its ends on said lugs.

9. For a fiyable toy airplane having a longitudinal body member with a wing slot provided therein lengthwise thereof, a sweptback wing structure comprising a pair of complemental wing parts butted together at their inner ends which are entered in said slot, said inner ends being inclined relative to the longitudinal axes of the wing parts so that the two parts are disposed in a V, said inner ends including complemental zig-zag interfitting saw-tooth projections of a size large enough to project from the slot appreciably on both sides of the body, an adhesive tape secured to and overlapping all of said projections and joining said parts in said slot, said body member having slot means therein spaced slightly above and generally parallel to the plane of said wings, and a balance weight means fixedly attached on the body member intermediate its ends concentrating its weight near the center of gravity cooperating with the body member and wings for shaping the latter, said balance weight means including means under said wings opposite said slot means for pressing portions of said wings upwardly toward said slot means for imparting a wing chord shape to the wings, said slot means accommodating flexing of the wings transversely of the plane thereof to accommodate said shaping.

10. In a flyable toy airplane, a body having a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally extending slots therein defining a thin vertically bowable strip of body between each adjacent pair of slots, a wing in the lowermost one of said slots extending transversely of said body, and a weight bracket on the bottom of said body beneath said wing near the center of gravity of the airplane, said bracket including portions extending upwardly on opposite sides of the body and pressing upwardly on portions of said wing to opposite sides of said body, the remainder of said slots and each bowable strip accommodating upward movement of said portions of said wing for imparting thereto at least one of a dihedral angle and a wing chord.

11. In an airplane as set forth in claim 10, said bracket including outwardly extending lugs engaging the lower surfaces of said wing, a bail mounted at its ends on said lugs and extending arcuately beneath said body from lug to lug, and a tether slidably mounted on said bail.

12. In an airplane as set forth in claim 10, said wing comprising a pair of complemental wing parts butted together at their inner ends substantially in the vertical plane of said body, said inner ends being inclined relative to the longitudinal axes of the wing parts so that the two parts are disposed in a sweptback V, said inner ends including complemental interfitting saw-tooth projections, and adhesive tape secured to said projections and joining said parts.

13. In an airplane as set forth in claim 2, a pair of lugs projecting outwardly in opposite directions relative to the U-shaped weight from the upper end of the side portions thereof, said lugs being inclined upwardly in diverging relationship to one another for imparting a dihedral formation to said wings.

14. For a flyable toy airplane having a longitudinal body member with a wing slot provided therein lengthwise thereof, a wing structure comprising a pair of cornplemental wing parts butted together at their inner ends which are entered in said slot, said inner ends including complemental interfitting projections of a size large enough to project from the slot appreciably on both sides of the body, an adhesive tape secured to and overlapping all of said projections and joining said parts in said slot, said body member having slot means therein spaced slightly above and generally parallel to the plane of said wings and wing slot, and means adjustably fixedly attached on the body member intermediate its ends under the wings and cooperating with the body member and wings for adjustably shaping the latter and then maintaining such shaping, said means including means under said wings opposite said slot means for pressing portions of said wings upwardly toward said slot means for imparting a wing chord shape to the Wings, said slot means accommodating flexing of the wings transversely of the plane thereof to accommodate said shaping.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,799,936 4/1931 Timson 46-78 1,927,835 9/1933 Kellogg 244-154 2,009,319 7/1935 James 46-79 2,257,298 9/ 1941 Hahn 244-154 2,431,289 11/ 1947 Whaley 244-153 2,551,340 5/1951 Sands. 2,778,154 1/1957 Dauwe 46-77 2,932,124 4/ 1960 Robinette 46-79 3,001,747 9/1961 Hockett 244-154 3,022,966 2/1962 Briggs 244-154 FOREIGN PATENTS 591,936 2/ 1960 Canada.

548,732 9/1956 Italy.

619,569 3/ 1949 Great Britain.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner. MILTON BUCHLER, Examiner.

P. E. SAUBERER, Assistant Examiner. 

